The present invention is concerned with telephone systems.
In the past, programs comprising a plurality of steps, termed vectors, have been provided for a computer which controls the telephone system. In a preferred form, the steps are written in such a manner that the user of the system may easily write a program for control of the telephone system.
Although such systems have been very useful in defining how the telephone system should handle a telephone call, occasionally the vector may be written with an error possibly due to inexperience of the user providing control of the system. Until the present time, it has been sometimes difficult to determine when an error has occurred, and it has also been difficult to determine the particular cause for the error such as to facilitate correction of the error by the user.
In addition, the present systems should provide additional information concerning operation of the vector in order to enhance the diagnostic capabilities of the system, and, in particular, information concerning the time which elapses to any given step of the vector. Without knowing the time which has elapsed to a particular step, the correction of the program when an error has occurred is rendered more difficult.